Craig Dresang: City Council Candidate
Craig Dresang (Photo by The Elginite).
The questionnaire below was completed by city council candidate Craig Dresang. Mr. Dresang will be a candidate in the city council primary election on February 26th.
Name:
Craig Dresang
Seat for which you are running:
2 year city council
Can you tell us a bit about your background, both personally and professionally?
I am a senior-level healthcare executive (vice president for marketing and community development) for Midwest CareCenter, the State of Illinois’ largest nonprofit hospice and palliative care organization with a $30 million budget. For the past 20 years, I have been a senior leader in a range of companies/organizations ranging from ComEd, Wheaton College and Aurora University, and Alexian Brothers. I have also served on the City of Elgin’s Cultural Arts Commission for the past five years, and own two small businesses. My partner moved to Elgin to restore a historic home and have been involved with the Gifford Park Association. I am currently working on a sell sheet, as a volunteer, for realtors, home-sellers and the city to use to attract home buyers to Elgin’s Historic District and businesses to downtown.
Why are you running for Elgin City Council?
My friends and neighbors who know me, and my track record, asked me to consider running. That, coupled with my own desire to see a balanced approach on City Council, prompted me to get into the race. Elgin is so close to overcoming many obstacles that would otherwise hold her back. I want to help the City maintain and find new paths that lead to both high quality of life and strong fiscal management.
What do you view as the major issues facing Elgin in the next few years?
A balanced approach to quality of life issues for residents and business owners. There’s a lot packed into the term “quality of life” including safe neighborhoods, business-friendly tax environment, good use of land and public space, infrastructure, code enforcement, educational and cultural opportunities for all residents including our young people, increasing home values, and continued enhancement of the City’s resources.
Are you generally in agreement with decisions the city council has made in the past few years? Please describe any measures with which you particularly agreed or disagreed.
Yes and no. In terms of fiscal management, the City has generally done a good job, however, I think that we need to search for more creative and bold solutions to move the City forward and enhance a user-friendly business environment. I am troubled by several of the candidates who are not relying on factual data and information in their messaging, especially as it relates to the City’s fiscal management. Three national rating agencies used by both private and public sectors have rated the City of Elgin for its current and outstanding debt. Elgin’s AAA rating is the highest attainable by a municipality. Fitch Ratings gave reasons for Elgin’s AAA rating: “Elgin’s CONSERVATIVE FISCAL MANAGEMENT, extensive financial planning and healthy reserve levels provide ample financial flexibility. The city prudently implemented several new revenue sources in 2012 to reduce dependence on property taxes and declining gaming revenues.” Fitch’s also noted, “Elgin’s property tax rate has been flat for over ten years.” Organizations with top ratings are able to borrow money or issue bonds at much lower rates, minimizing annual principal and interest in the City’s reliance on property taxes — which contributes to the City’s excellent financial position. Some council candidates call this a “troubling trend” I think because they don’t really understand the issues. One even said, “We don’t need brick sidewalks downtown.” Has he talked to downtown business owners and residents? If the sidewalk leading up to your house was in disrepair, would you not want to repair it, or even improve it with a brick walkway if you wanted and could afford it. This is called maintaining and enhancing the value of your home. Likewise, the City has been working to enhance the value of its downtown. It’s an investment.
If elected, what do you expect to accomplish during your time on the council?
To bring a reasoned and balanced approach to city governance. And, to help the City develop and implement action steps that will create a path to a more user-friendly business environment and increased home values.
From a crowded field of candidates, why should voters choose you to represent them on the city council?
My track record reveals a professional who is results-oriented, capable of forging strategic collaborations, and making informed, well-reasoned and thoughtful decisions. I have nearly 25 years of successful senior-level management experience in a range of settings including healthcare, higher education, advocacy, and the electric utility industry. Throughout the years, my work in public advocacy and community development has allowed me to forge strong and lasting relationships with State and local representatives and leaders from a wide cross section of industry. In my position as Vice President for Community Development at Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter, my team has just exceeded its goal of raising $12.4 million to build and open the region’s only world-class hospice pavilion and a community healing garden (a national demonstration site for students studying therapeutic horticulture through the Chicago Botanic Garden). In addition, I come from a family of business entrepreneurs and also own two of my own small businesses, so I understand the role that local government should, and should not, play in helping business to not just survive but thrive. In terms of public service, I have happily served as a commissioner for the City of Elgin’s Cultural Arts Commission, and have volunteered to serve on a number of task forces. I’m also chair of the Mission Grants Committee for The First Congregational Church of Elgin, which I’m proud to say, just granted more than $90,000 to 22 local nonprofit organizations. I care about, and love, this City and I know that I can help make her even better.
What’s the best way for voters to find out more about your campaign?
“My campaign website: http://www.craigdresang.com/
My facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn
My work site: http://www.carecenter.org/about-us/executive-staff/item/1054-craig-dresang
One of my small business sites as an artist: http://www.thirdcoastgallery.net/
My email: cbdgallery@sbcglobal.net”
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I smell another big-spending liberal.
When he talks about a balanced approach he means just the opposite.
“In terms of fiscal management, the City has generally done a good job,”
Excuse me?!!!! Another tax happy liberal with no specific ideas. Next candidate, PLEASE!
RS, your photos this election cycle are assuming a Diane Arbus aesthetic. There’s a certain harsh, brittleness and instability in these faces which convey Elgin’s own fragile character.
Regarding the downtown improvements, I wish they didn’t have to put that ugly black iron fencing around everything. Maybe it is for liability reasons but if they just would have the curbs around the foliage then we would get a more gratifying natural look of the foliage rather than the black iron fencing.
I regret I didn’t stick my common two cents in when that was in a proposed state.
AS for the brick pavers, they are heaving all over the place. The crosswalks on Douglas have turned into speed bumps.
Jobs created or saved, I suppose as they try to fix them for a decade or so, then back to blacktop I would guess.
That’s the liberal spirit.
And Dresang sees them as a lovely improvement.
“AS for the brick pavers, they are heaving all over the place.”
Hilarious. If only Dresang had talked to a high school student he might have learned that the physics of bricks and asphalt expand and contract at different rates thus rendering them unsuitable for intermixed road surface in the climate that Elgin exists in. I am hoping that global warming solves that problem but as a councilman it would not be appropriate to bet on it with taxpayer money.
Clearly Dresang never met a tax he didn’t like if the tax can be liberally justified as a quality of life enhancement. The exact same moral philosophy of every thief!
I’m glad to see people so passionate about the future of Elgin. I’m curious to hear other suggestions from those who have commented on this candidates questionnaire. What does everyone see as Elgin’s best path forward for the next 5-years. And what possibilities do you see for Elgin as far out as 2030?
Clarence, I stuck my nose into the downtown proposals when they had an open public input session in the Heritage Ball Room. They formed each of us into groups of 10, which they called “Charettes”. We spent 10 minutes of discussion led by a facilitator. I can assure you, the input at those sessions was of ZERO value. Maybe I will write a blog on it someday. Our group said what we wanted, but the facilitator kept trying to talk us out of what we wanted. Someone rang a bell, and each facilitator then announced the desires of each “charette”. Our facilitator stood up, and said the exact opposite of what we had asked for. All of us at our table dropped our jaws and went HUH??????? What gives? But no one said anything. Honest, it is part of a racket, for how the City cooks the process for public input, and then when people complain later, and I heard it on the exact subject our group discussed, then Mayor Schock asked the person who complained at a council session, “Where were you when we had the public input sessions?” What a crooked game they play……….
Chuck
Thanks for the info Chuck. The next time anyone is downtown in the summer time reflect on the fact that we have little garden plots of black iron fence all over the city. Not very pleasing to the eye.
Mr. Dresang’s comment in the DH “It’s a misnomer that property taxes are high,” shows he doesn’t have a clue. In Cook County Elgin’s property tax rate is higher than any neighboring municipality, and other than some south Suburban communities is one of the highest in the county. Perhaps he should look at the rates before making such an idiotic statement. He won’t be getting my vote.
http://www.cookcountyclerk.com/tsd/DocumentLibrary/2011taxratereport.pdf
” “It’s a misnomer that property taxes are high,” shows he doesn’t have a clue.”
He has a good clue. The people he circulates with are all in agreement. Read his facebook page. He’s got the occupy elgin liberal socialist left endorsements. Screw the working stiffs.
But great quote by the DH. DH probably could have quoted many other statements but that one is definitively illuminating. Hopefully there are enough taxpaying voters awake to overcome his immoral liberal base support.
How did this guy get to the #2 spot on the ballot for the two yr term? from the post on his page sounds like a lot of negative pictures are painted about his views and aspirations for & of the city. Mr. Dresang’s vision gives me the impression of a delusional approach to the already dysfunctional city process again I ask how did this guy reach the #2 slot to fill the 2 year council seat…………
Bennie, it is clear how he came in #2. All of the other candidates were conservative compared to Mr. Dresang. So all of the conservative votes got split 8 ways, and all of the “Dalton Gang” votes fell in on top of Mr. Dresang. It is as simple as that.
It will make for an interesting race, because we have opposite ends of the spectrum from which to choose. Chuck
“How did this guy get to the #2 spot”
I already told you on Feb.22, bennie, on how: ‘He has a good clue. The people he circulates with are all in agreement. Read his facebook page. He’s got the occupy elgin liberal socialist left endorsements. Screw the working stiffs.’
“Liberal” “Socialist” I love how these angry (betcha white male) conservatives throw out these labels and expect them to automatically tarnish the candidate. How are the taxes used? It’s money in, money out. Is my property tax rate “high” if the output is “high”? We all need to pitch in, according to our ability, to help our community. FYI it helps you too. Simplified thinking such as “high taxes are bad” and pushing for privatization of public works ignores the complexity of dealing with a diverse community. Good luck trying to bankrupt local government and destroy the safety net. He got the #2 spot cause there’s a lot of poor Elginite minorities that are waking up from being neglected, and we’ll be helping more of them wake up.
Another vote Wow can’t believe you would go out on a limb and make such incendiary comments about MINORITIES living in this community. For you to assume that the author of the comment: “wondering how Mr. Dresang got to the #2 spot” must be a Liberal/Socialist tells me that you are not only ignorant but you don’t have a grasp of how to judge people in general especially MINORITIES. First I am Not a LIBERAL NOR SOCIALIST. Clearly you never learned to not judge a book by it’s cover secondly you know nothing about the intellectual characteristics of minorities or people in general because if you did you could not have responded with that ignorant comment. You implied that it is necessary to tax the hell out of the taxpayers why? implying that it is an asset to the Minorities to be taxed to death without representation to enhance the lively hood of Poor MINORITIES?. Tell me that you are joking! I Don’t understand what you are thinking when you state “Good luck trying to bankrupt local gov and destroy the safety net( are you referring to the gutter that is being prepared to catch minorities when the tax axe falls on them) and that he got the #2 spot because a lot of the poor Elgin’s Minorities are waking up from being neglected and we’ll be helping more of them to wake up” Either You were intoxicated drugged or just think that Minorities are deaf dumb and blind and want to continue getting screwed by the city’s continued wasteful spending & taxation. Poor people of every stripe are suffering from the continued over taxing for things that actually harm the citizens Taxation without representation is what this city has imposed on its citizens We’ve had enough of that. The swipe that you took at minorities will cause an effect that I don’t think you were looking for. I will make sure the minority communities in this city know just what people like you think of them and change the composition of this cities leadership through the awakening of the MINORITIES the poor people Remember. You said it but I will finish it. The majority of people in this city are Minority and possibly poor people the same ones who will not tolerate people like you and others who neglect them. Minorities Will be victorious and won’t have tax and spend candidates like Mr. Dresang who have never seen a tax that he cannot support.
Amen Benny! “Another Vote” certainly has no clue of who he is tangling with when he tangles with you! He probably still thinks you are an old white man! Chuck
What does the safety net have to with Elgin City Council? Cities primary functions are plowing roads, staffing police, providing water/sewer, and other core services. Until they do that right, providing a safety net is a utopian black hole.
Thank You Mr Skillicorn
““Liberal” “Socialist” …labels and expect them to automatically tarnish the candidate.”
I do that for 2 reasons. It being the absolute TRUTH as the 1st reason, as you so aptly irrefutably proceeded to prove. The second reason is the hilarity in watching you liberal socialists deny you are liberal socialists by spouting your racist hate speech.
“We all need to pitch in, according to our ability, to help our community. ”
Are you seriously so ignorant that you are unaware your above statement is nearly identical to the communist CREED of: from each according their ability to each according to their need!
” taxes used? It’s money in, money out.”
Wow. To you, it is all the same whether the government TAKES
Wow!!! It is all the same whether government TAKES 25% of your money or 100% of your money because “FYI it helps you too.” Evidently your philosophy is the government can spend your money much better than you can spend your money so please take all of everyone’s money in the name of complex diversity!
“Simplified thinking such as “high taxes are bad” and pushing for privatization of public works ignores the complexity of dealing with a diverse community. ”
Is there some type of manifesto you get your standard issue meaningless talking points from? Hilarious. Apparently you do not know diversity and community are antonyms of each other. Complexity of diversity requires high taxes!!!!
Absolutely paul,this guy is hilarious but at the same time dangerous to the best interests of the taxpayers! Just say NO to “double speak”.
When I heard Craig Dresang say at the LWV forum on Sunday that he supported the proposed “Rain Tax”, I was surprised. When he submitted his reply to the Elgin OCTAVE’s candidate questionnaire on 1/2/13, he said he didn’t know enough to say. Well, lest I get accused of taking things out of context, I will let you read what Mr. Dresang submitted to us in its entirety. We published this info on the Elgin OCTAVE website, but maybe people will be more interested in what Mr. Dresang had to say on 1/2/13. Chuck
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Chuck — I have answered the questions you submitted (BELOW). However, I did not use the survey tool. To reduce many of these issues down to solid black or white yes/no questions does not serve the voters of Elgin well. To do so is a disservice to both Council candidates and to Elgin residents. These issues, like most of life, require investigation, full understanding, discussion, and respectful debate . . . a process that requires more research and information than what’s available via the internet and in public records. Not all answers are clearly yes/no answers and they deserve to be answered in context. That said, you can see my answers below.
Do you support the proposed storm water utility tax, aka the “Rain Tax”? I need to hear more, from the City Council, mayor and City Manager on the benefits and implications of the rain tax before I can give a yes/no answer.
Will you vote to repeal the “Trash Tax”? Again, I need to hear more, from Elgin residents, the City Council, mayor and City Manager on the rational, benefits and implications of trash tax.
Do you support video gaming within Elgin’s city limits? No
Do you support the creation of a City run fire alarm monitoring system with no opportunity for private firms to participate? Not at this time, but I need to hear/understand the full range of perspectives.
Are you aware that the City’s 2012 tax changes resulted in some Elgin residents paying 10% to 12% more in taxes to the City of Elgin than they did in 2011? I need to see the factual data on this before I comment.
Do you believe it is an acceptable financial practice for the City to generate an annual budget surplus in excess of $1 million?
A surplus is considered a sign that government is being run efficiently. A budget surplus can be used to pay off debt, save for the future, make a desired purchase that has been delayed, or make improvements.
The City is currently funding the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) from the downtown TIF. They are planning to provide funding for the DNA through the creation of a special taxing district in the downtown. According to City records, there are approximately 150 businesses in downtown Elgin. If the DNA is to obtain their current level of funding–$175,000 per year from these businesses–each may have to pay $1167 each per year to support the DNA. Do you support the creation of a special taxing district in the downtown to provide all of the funding for the DNA? I need to better understand what the benefits and downfalls have been and could be as a result of a special taxing district. Were the desired results achieved? I would need to see both an outcome report and business plan for the future.
In the last 3 years, the East Side Rec Center (ERC) has lost over $570,000. Do you believe that these high costs, combined with the low utilization of the Centre, are sufficient reasons to close the ERC and combine its operations with those of the Centre? At this time, yes
Do you approve of the City spending $400,000 to study a potential Fox River hydro-electric generator to be built in Elgin? More information needed on the potential benefits and risks, and the reasoning for the City wanting to do this.
Do you support the building of a hydro-electric generator at an estimated price tag of $4.5 million and a payback period of at least 28 years? More information needed on the potential benefits and risks, and the reasoning for the City wanting to do this.
Do you approve of special taxing (TIF) districts in Elgin? Only if it can be positively demonstrated that a TIF district will strengthen Elgin’s tax base, attract private investment, and increase economic activity.
How many lobbyists do you believe Elgin requires to work in Springfield? It depends on the size and significance of the issues, and their potential impact on the city.
Do believe that the salaries, overtime, and benefits for every City employee should be listed on the City’s website, as is currently done by Hoffman Estates and other communities? Please check all that should be listed. Yes.
Under Elgin’s new “revenue diversification” policy, the residents are taxed in multiple ways that are difficult to keep track of. The unique Elgin taxes are the trash tax, natural gas tax, electrical utility tax, sales tax, telecommunications tax, leaf rake out tax, yard waste stickers, liquor tax and property tax. A “true tax” figure would show what a typical family pays each year for all of these taxes. Do you believe the City should post “true tax” figures on its website to assist taxpayers in understanding their total tax burden? Yes.
The City owns over 300 properties. Some of these are of course vital, such as City Hall, while other properties are of no value to the City, such as the Wing Street park–built on a single lot, with swings and various play equipment, but only 4 short blocks from Wing Park. The properties that are of no use present the city with annual maintenance fees, increased liability exposure, and other ownership issues without producing property taxes for the City. The City also owns 31 S. Grove, the building that the Elgin Area Chamber occupies rent free. Do you think the City should form a commission to inventory all of their properties, and then create a plan to determine which properties should be sold? Yes
Should there be incentives or penalties for top tier staff in achieving or missing fiscal goals in managing the City’s operations? No incentives.
The Centre opened in 2003 and was built at a direct cost of over $38 million. The Mayor and City Staff insisted that the Centre would “make a profit.” In fact, the Centre has never made a profit. Are you aware that the total annual operating losses through 2011–ignoring millions in debt servicing costs–are over $5 million according to City records? I do not think this is correct information. The financial data I’ve seen shows an annual OPERATING loss of about $1 million. The $5 million is related to bond payments over a number of years.
Are you aware that after the City purchased 302 W. Chicago Street–a fully licensed, inspected multi-unit apartment–in 2009, it was found to be on the verge of collapsing? Yes.
Do you support the Elgin Rental Licensing program, when many property owners complain of being cited for the most minor issues–such as a missing light fixture shade, or chipped paint–when an inspected and licensed property, such as 302 W. Chicago Street, can be on the verge of collapse? These are three seperate issues. Regarding the licensing program, it is intended to provide landlords with consistent enforcement of codes of properties in stable neighborhoods. The process should be used to protect the character and stability of residential areas. The city should have enforced this with the property on Chicago. The reasons why it did not should be looked into and rectified.
Do you support a review of all regulations that affect the public with the objective of eliminating outmoded or useless regulations? Yes.
Do you approve of the leaf rake-out fee that is charged to homeowners in parts of the City? No.
The City Staff has stated that they have cut back and created a balanced approach to dealing with budget problems. However, the 2013 total budget of $277,800,080 is the largest in the City’s history, and is 38% larger than the budget of 2009. Do you believe this increase is a “balanced approach”? Not if the increase is in general operating expenses. I need to understand the reason for the increase and if it’s related to one-time capital expenditures or special projects, paying down debt, etc.
When the Elgin Business License was started in 2010, the Chamber was given $400,000 by the City of Elgin. In 2011 the Chamber again received $400,000 from the City. In 2012 the Chamber received $275,000 from the City. Since the Elgin Business License was created, the Chamber has received over $1 million from the City. Should the City of Elgin continue to fund the Chamber of Commerce? No, not if the Chamber cannot clearly demonstrate a return on investment for the City.
It is a conflict of interest for Elgin Area Chamber to receive funding from the City of Elgin since the Chamber is no longer able to advocate for the needs of its members in issues that may arise between the business community and the City. This issue deserves a thoughtful and informed response from a councilman who will look into, and understand the cost/benefit ratio and all sides of the issue.
It would be good for the City to build the proposed $8.85 million median planting down the middle of State Street between Kimball Street and W. Chicago Street. This issue deserves an honest and informed response from a councilman who will seek to understand the reasoning for this decision and how it would benefit safety, traffic, and neighborhood improvement initiatives.
The “financial crisis” presented by the City in the fall of 2011 was real. Not from the data/reports I’ve seen.
It is wrong for the City to vociferously proclaim the lowering of property taxes by $1million without at the same time clearly stating that other taxes and fees were created totaling $10 million in 2012. I agree.
The City’s fairly recent policy of issuing fines without warnings is unfair and unjust. I can’t come to judgement until I hear both sides of the case. This issue deserves a thoughtful and informed response from a councilman who will look into, and understand all sides of the issue.
The City’s General Fund end of year balance from 2006 through 2011 has averaged about $246,000. The Garbage Tax plus the Electrical Tax cost the taxpayers $6.687 million in 2012 and the 2012 City budget had a surplus of $7 million. If the City did not create the $7 million surplus, they could have eliminated the trash and electrical taxes completely. This issue deserves a thoughtful and informed response from a councilman who will look into, and understand the cost/benefit ratio and all sides of the issue.
In the 2013 City budget, the trash tax plus the electrical tax will cost the taxpayers $9.31 million and the budget shows a surplus of almost $10 million. If the City did not create the almost $10 million surplus, they could completely eliminate the trash and electrical taxes. This issue deserves a thoughtful and informed response from a councilman who will look into, and understand the cost/benefit ratio and all sides of the issue.
It is wrong of the City to create these historically massive budget surpluses. This question requires many other questions to be answered before I can provide an intelligent and informed response.
The City’s new policy of “Revenue Diversification” is ill conceived, making it more difficult for the taxpayers of Elgin to know the true cost of their total tax burden. There needs to be clearer communication between the City and its residents.
The Elgin Business License should be repealed.
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra is one of Elgin’s greatest assets and deserves annual taxpayer subsidies of $100,000 to $500,000.
It is wrong that the City of Elgin entered into a partnership with Hoffman Estates for the creation of a dog park in Hoffman Estates that cost Elgin taxpayers $52,000. I would not have supported this decision.
It was good that the City caused $14.5 million to be spent on the construction of a low-income housing project for artists called “Artspace” in downtown Elgin. Need to understand the payoff and intended outcome.
The City of Elgin justified spending $10 million ($1 million from an Elgin TIF with the balance from the State) to construct the new Riverside Drive deck, as being vital to revitalizing the downtown. I need to see and understand the details of a cost/benefit ratio before commenting.
Elgin should provide economic incentives to attract specific businesses. It depends on what economic incentives you are referring to and what the payoff would be in terms of increased tax revenue, employment, improvement or stablization of neighborhoods, etc.
Salaries paid to city management staff are excessive. This issue deserves a thoughtful and informed response from a councilman who will fully understand the City of Elgin’s compensation structure as it relates to the wider industry and its need to attract and retain top talent. More information needed.
It is unfair to pay the City of Elgin’s management high salaries when they also have premium pension programs that far exceed the private industry. If it exceeds the private industry and the market, I would agree.
Elgin should cause approximately $3.5million to be spent in 2013 to implement the “Bikeway Master Plan”.More information needed on the potential benefits and the reasoning for the City wanting to do this.
The best government is the government that governs least.
Elgin’s problems and issues cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need people who can dream of things that never were.
As a matter of philosophy, the City should continually strive to reduce the tax burden it places on its citizens. Yes.
How relevant do you believe the principles of the U.S. Constitution are to local governance?
The authors of the Constitution believed that the national government needed to be stronger than it had been under the Articles of Confederation. At the same time, however, they were deeply mistrustful of human nature and of the tendency for people in power to violate the rights of others. As a result, they sought to create a government powerful enough to govern, but not so powerful as to threaten individual liberty. The Founding Fathers also sought to divide power in a number of ways in order to prevent its abuse.
Given the priorities below, please click and drag the items into a ranking order with the highest priority item at the top to the lowest priority at the bottom. OR enter your own priorities in the next question. Many of these priorities are connected and cannot really be ranked in this way without distorting some context. For instance, quality of life is achieved by a combination of good police and fire protection, infrastructure, good use of land and the things that make a City’s collective mind and spirit grow and flourish (like education and arts).
Economic Development
Social Services
Fine Arts
Police and Fire protection
Infrastructure–roads, bridges, etc.
Parks and Open Spaces
Environmental Sustainability
Code Enforcement
Quality of life in Elgin
Judging by Mr. Dresang’s uninformed answers, he must be related to councilwoman Anna Moeller
His list must be in order of importance to him but not to the community and Citizens. Shocking he places “the arts” higher than police, fire and code enforcement. Just Shocking!
Sally - I do not put the arts above police, fire, and code enforcement. The list on this page appears in the order that Elgin OCTAVE submited it to the candidates, not in the order that I ranked or prioritized the items. In fact, I chose to not rank the items as indicated in my comments above. My response to this question was, “Many of these priorities are connected and cannot really be ranked in this way without distorting some context. For instance, quality of life is achieved by a combination of good police and fire protection, infrastructure, good use of land and the things that make a City’s collective mind and spirit grow and flourish (like education and arts).”
Sally - I do not put the arts above police, fire, and code enforcement. The list on this page appears in the order that Elgin OCTAVE submited it to the candidates, not the order that I ranked or prioritized the items. In fact, I chose to NOT rank the items at all, as indicated in my comments above. My response to this question was, “Many of these priorities are connected and cannot really be ranked in this way without distorting some context. For instance, quality of life is achieved by a combination of good police and fire protection, infrastructure, good use of land and the things that make a City’s collective mind and spirit grow and flourish (like education and arts).”
Craig, sorry for the confusion on this issue. When I looked at what you had submitted to us in reply to our questionnaire, my natural inclination was to try and clarify and organize it before posting it on the Elginite. But then I knew that I would be opening myself up to new problems, so I simply copied exactly what you had sent to us and posted it without any modification, notes or clarification. Chuck
I am an Elgin Jew and I voted fro Craig. He is common sense and represents ALL of Elgin. This website is fercockt. It highlights the candidates you like and makes the others look like a bunch of memzers. If it wasn’t for our first amendment rights your right-wing tea party sight would be shut down!!!
Every candidate who completed a profile has had it published here. I don’t think there’s even inadvertent “highlighting” of candidates. Some profiles don’t have pictures because the candidates were not at the forum where all the pictures were taken.
“If it wasn’t for our first amendment rights your right-wing tea party sight would be shut down!!!”
Exactly. And if it weren’t for our 2nd amendment rights protecting our first amendment rights you Nazi’s would shut us down too.
Thank you, master of the obvious!
Paul, Were nazi’s liberal? I’ll be polite, but you might want to re-read your history. Not sure it shows much class calling a Jew a nazi, although I’ll concede you might have people on this site supporting you.
I’ll leave the discussion on your argument that the second amendment is actually protecting free speech to another day.
“Paul, Were nazi’s liberal?”
Nazi stands for National Socialism. [Nazism, or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus)]
In today’s vernacular where liberal CLEARLY defines socialist, YES, nazi’s were liberal.
But thanks for demonstrating the depth of your ignorance.
There is quite a bit of voter pandering going on now. Candidates who had no interest in the Spanish vote up until the past few days are now posting messages in Spanish on their Facebook page. As if.
It makes me wonder which of the candidates Facebook friends can’t speak English well enough to even be on their Facebook page in the first place. I further query if the candidates who are doing this current pandering stopped at the homes of Spanish surname voters to ask for their vote.